Silent bridge bidding device



D. F. WOLYN SILENT BRIDGE BIDDING DEVICE Dec. 30, 1930.

Filed April 12., 1930 /"INVENT R g f. W

BY M ATTORNE Patented Dec. 30, 1930 PATENT OFFICE DAVID F. WOLYN, OF WOODiMEBE, NEW YORK SILENT BRIDGE BIDDING- DEVICE Application filed. April 12,

The present invention relates to improvements in game accessories and more particularly to a device used as accessory means in playlng card games. The invention perta ns more specifically to a bidding board to be used in playing bridge.

A serious fault in the bridge game as ordinarily played resides in the oral method of bidding, in which a player may improperly 0 indicate by tone of voicea strength or weakness in his bid without committing an actual.

ers hand. Other faults with the ordinary system of oral bidding are in the bidding 0 out of turn, the accidental expression of an illegal bid by another player, and the occasional uncertainty as to the number of tricks bid after the hand has been played.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a device whereby oral bidding is eliminated, the bids being silently recorded,

thereby eliminating unfair indications of strength or weakness in the bid, and failure to recollect the bid, and reducing the likeliof the plate disks 8, 9 and 10, having each hood of a player bidding out of turn.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which is simple in construction, eflicient in operation, durable in use and capable of manufacture on a commercial scale, or in other words one which is not so difficult to make as to;

be beyond the reasonable cost of such a contrivance. I

With these and other objects in view, which will more fully appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same con.- sists in the combination, arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter described, pointed out inthe appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that many changes may be made in the size and proportion of the :severl parts and details of construction within the scope of the appended claims, wlthout de- 1930. Serial No. 443,727.

parting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

One of the many possible embodiments of the invention is, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which represents a perspective view of a bidding board constructed inaccordance with the present invention, part of the structure being broken away in order to more clearly show the interior construction.

In the drawing the numeral 1 indicates a plate made of any suitable material, and provided along its edges with downwardly extending flanges 2, to space the said plate from the support on which it is to rest, in the present case from the card players table.

This plate is squarein configuration and is I arranged in the proper order to indicate the four players participating in the game. Be- 4 tween each of .the indications 3 and adjacent each edge of the plate are provided three apertures, denoted by the numerals 4, 5 and 6.

In operative relation to the said apertures are pivotally mounted at 7 on the underface jecting through slots 12 in the flanges 2 beyond the plate 1, whereby the said disks may *be rotated by the players in relation to their respective apertures. The disks 8, which cooperate with the apertures 4, are each provided on a circle with six spaces, one of the same,

denoted by the numeral 13, being blank, one

having printed thereon the word No, as indicated at 14, and the remaining four having printed thereon the successive suits, that 1s club, diamond, heart and spade. The said blank space and any one oftheindications on a disk 8 are adapted to be displayed through the respective aperture 4 by turning the disk to the proper position, 'The'disks 9, which co-opera-te withthe apertures 5, are each provided on a circle with eight spaces, one of the same, denoted by the numeral 15,

being blank, and the remaining spaces hav- 10o The disks 10, which co-operate with the apertures 6, have each tended to indicate a double, the player wish-- displayed thereon the word Pass, an abbreviation of the word Double, an abbreviation of the word Redouble, and an abbreviation of the word Challenge.

V As an additional feature, the plate 1 may beprovided with a score pad 16, the score beingrecorded in writing as the game progresses.

The operation of this device is as follows At the conclusion of the dealing, the bidding commences, the player first rotating the disk 8 adjacent the indication 3 marking his seat at thetable and thereby displaying through the respective a erture 4 the trump to be named. Therea ter the player turns the disk 9 ,to display through the respective aperture 5 the number of tricks bid. The disk 10 is then turned to a blank space. Assuming that the player occupying the south position shown in the drawing bids three hearts, he will display the numeral 3 and the heart symbol through the apertures 5 and 4, respectively, adjacent the indication S. Assuming now that the player occupying the west position wishes to pass, he will turn the disks 8 and 9 adjacent the indication W to display the blank spaces on the said disk, and turn the disk 10 to display the word Pass through the aperture 6, as shown in the drawing. In this way the bidding is done without the necessity of spoken word and the turning of the disks is continued until the-bidding is completed. Where it is in-' ing to express the bid does so by turning the disk 10 adjacent his indication 3 until the wordDouble appears thro'ughthe aperture 6. In the same way a redouble would be indicated, or a challenge. It is intended that the disks be left in position until the completion of the playing of the hand, thus recording, for the time being, the bidding of the hand-and avoiding all question as to the contract or preliminary bids.

What I claim is: Y 1 A bridge bidding device comprising a plate of quadrangular configuration having a group of a ertures adjacent eachedge thereof correspon ing to the location of four players around a card table, and a. disk rotatably mounted on the underface of said plate adjacent each aperture, one disk of each group bearing trump indicating means adapted to be displayed through the respective apertures, another'disk in each group bearing indicati'ons of the number of tricks to be bid, said indications being adapted to be dis-. played through the respective apertures, and a third disk of each group carrying indications of other bids to be made, said indications being also adapted to be displayed through the respective apertures.

, 2. In abridge bidding device according to claim 1, said disks projecting beyond said plate so that their peripheral portions are adapted to be engaged by the fingers of the operator for rotatin the same.

3. In a bridge bid ing device according to claim 1, said plate being provided with down-- wardly extending flanges around its edges, said flanges having slots through which said disks project beyond said plate.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York, and State of New York, this 11th day of March, A. D. 1930. V

DAVID F. WOLYN. 

